Paget's Disease (PD) is the most exaggerated example of coupled bone remodeling with focal areas of increased bone resorption accompanied by exuberant new bone formation. The excessive new bone formation results in deposition of weak woven bone, which is responsible for many of the clinical sequelae of PD including bone deformity or fracture, skull thickening, bone pain and nerve root compression. Osteoclasts (OCLs) drive the increased bone formation, because treatments targeting OCLs decrease bone resorption and formation. However, the mechanisms responsible for the increased bone formation in PD are unknown. Genetic and environmental factors contribute to development of PD. The most frequent mutations linked to PD are in the SQSTM1/p62 gene, in particular p62P392L. Mice harboring germline p62P394L(p62 mice), the murine equivalent of human p62P392L, exhibit increased OCLs, but do not develop PD. OCLs from 70% of PD patients express the measles virus nucleocapsid protein (MVNP) gene, and transgenic mice with targeted expression of MVNP to OCLs (MVNP mice) develop OCLs and bone lesions characteristic of PD. Importantly, loss of IL-6 expression in MVNP mice blocked the pagetic OCL formation and increased bone formation in vivo. Thus, expression of environmental factors (e.g., MVNP) in OCLs is required for the development of characteristic bone abnormalities in PD. Recently, we found that MVNP but not p62P394L increases expression of the coupling factors ephrinB2 by OCLs and EphB4 on osteoblasts (OBs), which was mediated by IL-6. These results suggest that MVNP in OCLs induces coupling factors that increase OB activity. Further, MVNP induced expression of IGF1 by OCLs which may further increase bone formation. This proposal will assess the role of MVNP in the abnormal OB activity in PD by testing the hypothesis that MVNP increases OB activity in PD through induction of ephrinB2 on OCLs and EphB4 on OBs, in part through MVNP's up-regulation of IL-6 and IGF1 in OCLs. Thus, we will: 1) Test the hypothesis that MVNP's induction of ephrinB2 and IGF1 in OCLs and EphB4 in OBs increases OB activity. We will determine the effects of modulating ephrinB2/EphB4 and IGF1 levels/activity on the increased OB activity induced by MVNP. We will also determine if MVNP expression in OCLs from p62P392L PD patients increases ephrinB2 and IGF1 in OCLs and enhances their capacity to induce OB differentiation. 2) Test the hypothesis that IL-6 and IGF1 mediate the induction of ephrinB2 and EphB4 by MVNP. We will determine the mechanisms responsible for IL-6's induction of ephrinB2/ EphB4 by MVNP, and if IGF1 enhances ephrinB2 and/or IL-6 production by OCLs expressing MVNP or simply enhances OB activity via ephrinB2/EphB4. For these studies, we will use cells from MVNP, WT, IL-6-/- and MVNP and WT mice with knockdown of IL-6 or IGF1 in OCLs ex vivo. 3) Generate p62/MVNP mice with targeted deletion of ephrinB2 and/or IGF1 in OCLs and EphB4 in OBs to assess the roles of ephrinB2/EphB4 and IGF1 in the increased OB activity in PD.